City of Dragons: Volume Three of the Rain Wilds Chronicles

I just finished the audiobook and was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I love Robin Hobb and most all of her books, but I knew something was wrong with this book when I saw that this book was only 13 hours when all of her others were at least 20+. Without any spoilers I felt this book was all filler drama to make an extra buck. This can't be the end of the series because there was not much progress from the last book. New problems that were introduced in this book were not even resolved. Anyways all bagging on the story aside, I was glad I read it. It wasn't horrible, it just felt incomplete and like it had no real ending.

I think some of the other reviews for this have been a little unfair.

City of Dragons is the third book in Robin Hobb's Rain Wild Chronicles. According to Hobb, the first two books (Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven) were actually intended to be one book, but were split due to length. And the third and (forthcoming) fourth books were the same. City of Dragons is not a standalone book—it has no climax, virtually no resolution to its myriad storylines, and in fact where you would expect things to be wrapping up it only spawns new plot threads. In a genre where Pat Rothfuss can publish The Wise Man's Fear and we get innumerable Wheel of Time doorstops I'd question whether splitting the story was really necessary, but, regardless, my rating and review are with the understanding that I'm only looking at part of a whole.

Hobb's trademarks are all there: an immersive setting, lush prose, and deep, sympathetic characters. But this book doesn't feel as dark or as desperate as Hobb's other writing. There are threats, such as the fear that with Kelsingra known it will be overrun by treasure seekers, and the mysterious Chalcedean conspiracy. And problems, like the shortage of food and supplies, or the fact the dragons can't fly and so are completely dependent on their keepers. But none of these things feels particularly urgent or unmanageable. Disaster is not imminent. There are a few exceptions, such as one very desperate scene on the dark branches of the tree city of Cassarick (you'll know it when you read it)—but even that scene feels brief and truncated.

The result is that City of Dragons isn't focused on the dragons and keepers like the earlier volumes. It is a much broader book, showing the rippling consequences of Kelsingra's discovery and setting into motion all the forces that will no doubt clash in the finale.

But not every book needs to ratchet up suspense to unbearable levels. The book is a process of discovery, learning about the past and hoping for the possibilities of the future. Will the ancient society be restored, Elderlings and dragons living in symbiosis? And it is very much about relationships (romantic and otherwise). People are constantly forced to make choices about who to trust, who to be with, and then dealing with the consequences of those choices. Combine that with all the threads Hobb left in motion, and the final book promises to be an exciting conclusion to the series!

I really became invested in the characters, especially the dragons. Sintara is wonderfully developed and Thymara is her equal in every way. I frequently forgot that Mercor (was he the wise old serpent in the first Liveship book?) was a dragon and Hebe wasn’t a frisky puppy.

Thymara, of course. That girl has skills and guts. Tats was a close second.

Dragons. I never thought I'd invest in a book with talking dragons, but this one really pulled me in.

I loved when Sedric and Carson came together.

My only disappointment with the book was Hobb’s inconsistencies with Malta, one of my favorite characters. When did her dark hair become golden? And when did Ephraim Vestrit become her father? She didn’t even like the man. Kyle Haven was her adored father. Sloppy. But I’m willing to forgive and forget if Hobb writes a final book (longer this time please!) to wrap up the series.

Yes I have loved all her previous books on audible

Yes and this one disappoints. The first help is a rehash of the the series so far. When it starts to get into new story lines it ends leaving you feeling cheated.

?

yes I am not good at casting.

disappointed but waiting for more.

This book appears to have been published to please anyone but the readers. Please finish the book before you ask us to buy it.

I

Very disappointed with the ending. I was listening to the book, really enjoying it and it ended right in the middle. There are characters that you're left wondering what happened to them. I wish the author would write another book to properly end the series!

The narrator did a good job.

I would go see it only if the author would finish the series and sum up what happened to each character in the book.

This narrator reads way too slow! I speed it up to 1.5x!

I liked the continuation of the story. I didn't care for the new character point of views, it seemed a little like just fillers. I can't wait to get more in to Kelsingra.

i would recommend it after the next book comes out because i feel like i made it one chapter before the climax and it ended

I'll review the whole series here rather than just 1 book. It has a very interesting plot that keeps you wanting to know more about the history of dragons & the traders that lived close to them. It is best to read these in the order written or you will miss many of the references. Surprising turns that keeps you interested. The narrator is good but different. For my tastes I would have chosen a different narrator however she does not distract the story. I hope there will be more in this series!